A week or so ago, we wondered if the Robert Pattinson period drama Bel Ami would be screened at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival. If so, would it be listed as a Word Premiere? The issue revolved around the fact that earlier this month Bel Ami had a few “special” screenings in various Belgian cities. Anyhow, the answer was given today, as Berlinale organizers have released a list of seven more movies to be screened as part of the festival’s Official Competition line-up. (Watch Bel Amitrailer.)

In Bel Ami, the latest film adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s novel, Pattinson plays the ambitious ex-soldier Georges Duroy, who uses his various skills to climb his way up the Parisian social ladder. Directed by stage veterans Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, Bel Ami co-stars Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Christina Ricci.

Now, first of all bear in mind that some films in the “Official Competition” line-up are actually out of competition. That’s the case with Bel Ami. In other words, there’s no chance for Pattinson or anyone involved in Bel Ami to take home a Golden or Silver Bear. Also out of the running for any awards are the following Official Competition selections: Hark Sui’s Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, starring Jet Li; James Marsh’s Shadow Dancer, with Clive Owen, Andrea Riseborough (one of the stars in Madonna’s E.W.), and Gillian Anderson; and Steven Soderbergh’s action thrillerHaywire, starring Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, and Michael Fassbender.

The other Berlinale World Premieres announced today were Frédéric Videau’s À moi seule / Coming Home; Nikolaj Arcel’s A Royal Affair, with Mads Mikkelsen; and Kim Nguyen’s Rebelle.

Robert Pattinson, I should add, may find himself – or rather, one of his films – included in another major film festival later this year. After all, David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis is supposed to be ready for release in 2012. And in November, Pattinson will be seen for the last time as the vampire Edward Cullen in Bill Condon’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, the final installment in the Twilight movie franchise. Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner co-star.

Below is the list of the latest movie additions to the Berlin Film Festival’s Official Competition line-up:

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate. Hong Kong, China. By Hark Tsui (Once Upon A Time In China, Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame, Time And Tide). With Jet Li (The Expendables, The Expendables 2, Kiss of the Dragon, Fearless, Hero), Zhou Xun, Chen Kun, Kwai Lun Mei. European premiere / out of competition - 3D.

Shadow Dancer. Great Britain / Ireland. By James Marsh (Project Nim, The King, Man on Wire). With Clive Owen (Closer, Children of Men, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Killer Elite, The Boys Are Back, Inside Man, Sin City), Andrea Riseborough (Never Let Me Go, Made in Dagenham, Brighton Rock, E.W., Happy-Go-Lucky), Gillian Anderson (Boogie Woogie, Johnny English Reborn, The X Files: I Want to Believe, The Last King of Scotland, The House of Mirth). European premiere / out of competition.

As in the past five years, the Best Foreign Language Film nominations are being determined in two phases. The information below is from the Academy’s press release:

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 63 eligible films between mid-October and January 13. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five nominees by specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles. They will spend Friday, January 20, through Sunday, January 22, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

The Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. In the United States, the telecast will be broadcast live on ABC. The Oscarcast will also be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

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1 comment

Kanerwa -

omg ,thank you for explanation to poor Pattinson’s fans what means ”out of competition”.Rob doesn’t bring home the golden bear…omg

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